RALEIGH, NC – Americans for Prosperity, North Carolina’s leading advocate for economic freedom, is asking Senator Kay Hagan (D) to clarify her position on past and potential carbon tax legislation in the US Senate.

At the heart of the issue are two votes on the Senate Democrat budget proposal, in March of this year.

First, Sen. Hagan voted against Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-R.I.) amendment, which failed 41-58. This amendment called for returning revenues from any fee on carbon dioxide emissions to the American public, such as through deficit reduction or lower tax rates.

Then, Sen. Hagan voted against Sen. Roy Blunt’s (D-MO) amendment that called for blocking a carbon tax outright. This amendment also failed to pass.

“Senator Hagan’s position is confusing,” said Chris Farr, North Carolina Interim State Director for Americans for Prosperity. “Her votes indicate that she is in favor of a carbon tax and doesn’t want any of that carbon tax revenue to be given back to the American people. Yet statements from her staff indicate that she is against a carbon tax.”

A Hagan staffer was recently quoted in a Washington, DC newspaper as saying “She (Hagan) opposes it,” in regards to a carbon tax.

“If the Senator is, in fact, opposed to a carbon tax, then she could quickly clarify her position by signing Americans for Prosperity’s ‘No Climate Tax’ pledge,” Farr continued. “The pledge is simple and states that, if signed, Sen. Hagan will oppose any legislation relating to climate change that includes a net increase in government revenue.”

The carbon tax in question would impose a $20 tax for every ton of carbon dioxide emitted over a certain threshold. A 2013 study by the National Association of Manufacturers found that:

This tax would deal a blow to employment in North Carolina, with a loss of worker income equivalent to 42,000 to 52,000 jobs in the first year. Nationally, the job loss could reach 1.5 million in the first year of carbon tax implementation.

Households in North Carolina would see a significant increase in their electricity rates, with an average increase of 16 percent in 2013.

The hardest hit economic sectors in North Carolina would be agriculture, which would lose between 0.3 and 0.8 percent in economic output, and energy-intensive manufacturing, which would lose between 1.2 and 1.4 percent.

Farr continued, “A carbon tax would kill North Carolina jobs and crush economic output, at a time when our state has the third highest unemployment rate in the nation. Senator Hagan owes it to her constituents to clarify her position on such a destructive policy.”

By signing the ‘No Climate Tax’ pledge, Senator Hagan would join Senator Richard Burr (R) and seven North Carolina members of the U.S. House as pledge signatories. The pledge can be found at www.NoClimateTax.com.

Americans for Prosperity – North Carolina is also asking its thousands of statewide supporters to visit www.HaganSayNo.com to sign a petition asking Senator Hagan to vote against any future carbon tax legislation.

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is a nationwide organization of citizen-leaders committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and intrusiveness of government is the best way to promote individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. Americans for Prosperity does not support or oppose candidates for public office. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org